The Romance of the Vocaloids
by Zach Archer
Summary: Miku and Luka finally admit their love for each other, much to the surprise of everyone, especially Len. Len begins a spiral into depression at the idea that he can never have Miku and Rin may be the only person who can save him.
1. Miku's Story Part One

Part One  
Miku

_Is it strange for me to be attracted to a member of the same sex? _

That is the question running through my head. I'm backstage, sitting on a leather sofa, my hands clasped together in my lap. I keep squeezing them every time I hear her hit a high note on the stage. I have this fluttering in my stomach that is making it impossible for me to think of anything but her. I want to confess to her so bad, but I don't want it to ruin anything that we have. We're best friends, and I don't know if best friends should feel the way I do about each other. When I had first met her, I hadn't had any weird thoughts about her, we were friends. We talked and sung and hung out together. But as time progresses, I find that more and more I am starting to actually love her, and not in the friend way. I want her to hold me. I want her to kiss me. I want us to hold hands. If I got the courage to tell her these things what would she say? That's my only obstacle; the fear of her rejecting me and not wanting to be friends anymore. I don't know if I could live with myself if she stops being my friend.

Her song concludes and the concert goes into an intermission while we got dressed for our next set of songs. She walks into the room and notices me on the sofa, not hanging out with Rin like I usually do during this part of the concert. I twiddle my thumbs in my lap, my face bright red. Her deep blue eyes look into mine for the tiniest fraction of a second and it sends my heart into a flutter. I feel like it wants to burst out of my chest. She moves through the room and sits down next to me. I feel her pink hair brush against my arm and it just makes things worse.

"Miku, what's the matter?" She asks.

"N-nothing." I manage to stammer out.

"You've been acting strange lately. You can tell me what's going on. We're friends after all." She is looking at my unsteady hands. I wish I could keep them under control. I clasp them together as I had been doing during her song. When I do that, they steady a little. Luka then places her hand over mine and I start to shake like crazy.

"Miku, what's the matter?" She asks. She sounds really worried.

"L-luka." It's all I can manage to say.

"Hm?"

This is my chance! But I don't take advantage of it. Instead I blunder to the changing room and leave Luka wondering what my problem is. She probably thinks I'm crazy or something. She'll probably avoid me. I don't blame her, I would avoid myself. I'm acting like a complete idiot. When I go on stage I will throw on a façade, pretend like I have nothing bothering me and be the ultra-cute and happy pop star everyone knows and loves. If they saw this side of me, they'd probably think I'm pathetic.

I change fast and do my performance. Everybody seems to be as happy as ever when they see me and I smile back at them. My mind is going crazy with thoughts of Luka. Usually when I perform I think about the song and the music and the dancing but those are at the back of my mind. My movements are robotic and my singing is something I don't seem to be doing of my own freewill. Because if I could do anything of my free will it would be scream. This feeling is made even worse by the fact the next song is Love is War. I don't know how I will make it through the song without breaking down.

I start to sing. I push all thoughts of Luka to some dark recess of my mind, at least for now. All I want to do is get through this song, then be done until the final bow. All I need to do is steel myself and push through.

It's over. Everyone is clapping and hollering. I bow and walk off stage only to find Luka is waiting for me. All those thoughts I put into the recesses of my brain come forward, my heart starts to beat harder. I open my mouth to say something, what it is even I don't know, but instead I run away from her. She follows. Rin and Len are onstage leaving just her, me, and Kaito. Kaito is probably raiding the food as he usually does. I have nowhere to run. Luka will catch me no matter where I go.

"Miku!" She yells. "Please talk to me!"

You don't know how much I want to. But I can't. And so I hole myself up in a little cocoon and hope the storm passes over. I try to make some sort of excuse for my behavior but Luka isn't stupid. Of course she won't fall for it. She knows me better than anyone and knows that I never act this way. When she tries to grab my shoulder I recoil away and she looks at me with a bit of hurt in her eyes.

"Did I do something?" Luka asks. I shake my head. "Then what is it? I'm really worried about you."

"I did something!" I explode like a bomb and instantly want to cry. I didn't want to yell at Luka. I want to yell at myself.

"What did you do?" Luka is calm and collected, neglecting the fact I just yelled at her. She reaches out and this time manages to grab my shoulder. I don't recoil but instead jump forward. I wrap my arms around her and cry into her shoulder. She returns my hug and it just makes me cry even more. Why am I crying? This is exactly what I want. I'm in the warm embrace of the girl I am in love with. So why can't I stop crying?

"L-luka. Is…is there someone you like?" I ask in what has to be the most pathetic voice I have ever let anyone hear.

"Is that what this is about? Did someone reject you?" Luka's voice is soft and soothing. I wish I could be like her. I don't know if she has ever cried or even gotten mad. I've said it and I'll say it again, I feel pathetic. "Did you confess to someone and they didn't accept it?"

I shake my head, rubbing my eyes against her bare shoulder. It shines with my tears.

"Then what is it?"

"I-I want to confess to someone but I'm scared to." I'm beating around the bush. I want to say "I want to confess to you Luka" but my mouth and my brain won't connect.

Rin and Len's song ends and it's time for final bows. I didn't even put on my gray shirt, black skirt, and boots. I'm dressed for the wrong thing.

Luka strokes my hair but it doesn't assuage the pain. The tears do stop flowing though. I hug her tighter. Her warmth feels so good, it warms my heart and makes me smile.

"Do you want to talk about this after the show?" Luka asks.

I don't know what to say. If I could talk to her alone and steel myself maybe I would be able to get all my feelings out. I know I'll sound like a bumbling idiot most of the time, but it would soothe my heart and my mind. I know if she rejects me I will be in pain, but maybe it's better to know than to keep wondering.

I nod and she leads me toward the stage. I look at the dress I am wearing but Luka just smiles. "Everyone loves you Miku. They don't care what you're wearing."

She makes me feel so much better. She can take the worst situation and make it bearable. It's part of the reason I am in love with her. Nobody else treats me like she does. Nobody understands me like she does.

And nobody has hugged me as warmly as she just did.

We take our final bows. I hear the cries of the fans, a tidal wave rush of my name over and over again. I smile and wave. As I walk off stage the cheers just continue. One voice rises above the others though.

"Miku. do you want to go get ice cream and talk at the park?"

I nod and follow Luka to the changing room. I put on my usual attire and follow behind Luka through the maze of halls that is the backstage of the theater. We nearly get lost but find Kaito along the way. He shows us the way out and waves after us as we head into the city. I keep falling farther and farther behind. I clench my fists, steeling myself for when we get to the park.

I feel something warm grab my hand and look over at Luka who has a big smile on her face. "Come on slow-poke." Her soft, warm hand is so nice. I involuntarily squeeze it and she squeezes back. If I were in an anime, I probably would pass out. But I don't and I just feel that flutter of my heart for the millionth time today.

We find a tiny ice cream shop and Luka orders for us both, her hand releasing mine. She knows my favorite flavor is vanilla. She even pays for it. The traffic on the streets is getting lighter, it is nearly nine at night. Before we cross the street that runs parallel to the park gates I grab Luka's hand. I expect her to flinch away or shake me off but instead she grips my hand firmly and walks me across the street like a tiny child.

We find a bench next to a tiny lake that glistens in the moonlight. Luka lets go of my hand and sits close beside me. She licks her chocolate ice cream cone and I follow suit with my own. There are a couple minutes of awkward silence as we work on our ice cream. I watch the little ripples in the lake as fish breach the surface. When I notice Luka's eyes on me I close mine and breath.

"So what's been going on?" Luka's voice pierces through my thoughts. I open my eyes and breath in and out, calming my nerves.

"You never answered me before." I answer in a low voice. "About whether there is someone you like."

Luka nods. "I didn't. There is someone I like." My heart beats hard. "How is that making you act like you are?"

I finish my ice cream cone, my fingers now free to twiddle about like snakes. "Um…can you tell me who it is? Or is that being too nosy?"

Luka finishes her own ice cream cone and scratches the back of her head. "Well. It's kind of embarrassing." She looks down at her gold boots. It's the first time I've ever seen her break her cool demeanor.

"Y-you don't have to answer if you don't want to." I quickly say. "I don't want to be imposing."

"So this is about your liking someone." Luka said. "How about I make a deal with you?"

"W-what is it?" I ask, my eyes downcast and my whole body trembling.

"We can tell each other who we like, but we have to do it after the count of three. That way it's fair. We don't have to choose someone to go first and feel all awkward afterward."

I nod and close my eyes, waiting for her to count down.

"Three."

My fist clenches.

"Two."

My stomach feels so full, as if all of my emotion is waiting down there…waiting to get out.

"One."

I open my mouth and will my brain to spill the emotions hiding in my guts.

"Luka-chan!" I somehow get out.

"Miku-chan!" Luka says. I open my eyes wide in shock and notice her eyes are shut and her fists are clenched too. This is a completely different side of Luka, one I've never seen before. She is nervous and her voice had quavered just a bit when she said my name. Did she ask me here just to tell me she liked me? If so, I will really feel pathetic. She had to take the initiative because I was too scared to.

She opens her eyes and we stare at each other. Five seconds pass, ten. Now I fall into her arms for the second time today and cry. Her hug is tight, I feel like I'm melting into her. I feel her hair against my cheek. Her hand rubs my back.

"Why are you crying?" She whispers.

"Because I'm happy!" I smile and attempt to pull away from the hug.

Luka presses me tighter against her. "You can cry on me. It's okay."

I do. I feel like I am crying out all of my tension, all of the feelings that have been locked tight in me for so long. I feel something wet hit the top of my head and look up at Luka.

For the first time in my life, I am witnessing Luka crying.

"Why are you crying?" I whisper.

Her smile is still bright, even when she is crying. "Because I'm happy!" Instead of trying to break away from the hug like I did she just holds me tighter. A long time passes. Our tears stopped and we just kept each other warm.

"I-I love you Luka." I stammer out. "I want to be beside you forever. You make everything so much better."

There is a sound like someone choking and then I feel fresh tears against my body. "I love you too Miku. I've been wearing a mask, trying to act normal around you. The truth is, I was really hurting. And when you talked to me today I got the impression there was someone you liked and I felt really horrible. I was smiling on the outside, but inside I was crying. Because I thought you loved someone else and I wouldn't have a chance." She loosens the hug. We're looking into each other's eyes again and I can't help but let loose another wave of tears.

I feel her lips lock with mine. Her hands bunch up my blouse and hold it tight. Meanwhile I move my hand to cradle the back of her head. Our tears mix together and patter against our laps.

It is a long kiss. We pull away and Luka wipes her eyes with the sleeves on her arms.

"That was my first kiss." I say. Luka's finger wipes a tear from my eye.

"Mine too." Luka smiles and bends to kiss my cheek sweetly. "But I don't think it will be my last." She stands and offers me her hand. I take it and she lifts me up from the bench gently. Our fingers are entwined. We walk to the hotel, my head resting against her shoulder. I can't keep myself off of her.

"When we get to the hotel," Luka says as we follow the street to our place of residence for the next couple days, "I think we should write a song we can perform together. I've had this idea running through my head. The name is World's End Dancehall. We can even make up a dance for it together!"

I smile and nod. "I'd like that very much."

My heart isn't fluttering anymore. Now it is melting, it is keeping the rest of me warm instead of unsteady. The only bad thoughts in my mind are whether or not people will accept us for who and what we are.

Somehow, Luka reads my mind and her grasp on my hand tightens, her index finger rubbing my digits. "Everything will be okay. We'll be happy. And if anyone tries to stop us from being happy, then we can get through it together and laugh about it later."

"You always know the perfect thing to say." I wipe another tear from my eye. I have never been so in love with someone.

And so we walk into an uncertain future. But no matter what happens I will be happy as long as I have Luka there to hold onto me and keep me warm and be my best friend. At this point in time, she is all that matters to me. And I feel that she will be all that matters to me for a very long time.


	2. Luka's Story Part One

Part Two  
Luka

I hold Miku's hand and she presses tightly against me. Her hair is soft, it tickles me and sends shivers up and down my spine, a coolness that sweeps through me and is quickly suppressed by her warmth. The full moon is overhead, making her hair shimmer and sparkle. I'm a tad taller than her, a bit older than her, but none of that seems to matter. I had read this romance book back in grade school that had a phrase in it I didn't understand. _Love knows no boundaries_. Recently, I've started to understand it. Ever since I started falling for Miku I started to think of that phrase over and over again. One of the biggest things that made me hesitant about confessing to her was the fact I was two and a half years her elder. My brain told me she thought of me more as a big sister than she ever would a lover. I'm glad my brain was wrong. So glad. If it hadn't been and Miku hadn't accepted my confession as she did, then I'd probably be a torn up mess right now. I would probably be hiding away from everyone in my hotel room with a pillow over my head to absorb all of my tears.

I'm so happy that didn't happen. To be holding her petite hand right now, to feel her against me. It's a sensation that transcends anything my mind can fully comprehend. I even got to feel her soft lips against mine, a memory I will never forget. People walk by and don't pay us any mind. A couple recognize us but leave us be, maybe seeing how happy Miku is. Her eyes are closed but her mouth is open in a gorgeous smile. Her perfectly white teeth glisten in the moonlight. I wish I could be as perfectly beautiful as she is. Every gesture she makes, every word she says, every time she does anything it is enough to make me fall in love with her all over again. Just a tiny squeeze of my hand makes my mind flood with a river of emotion.

"I want to share a room with you tonight." Miku mutters, looking up at me. Her big blue eyes twinkle like the stars above us. Her free hand grabs my arm and holds it lightly. "I want you to hold me all night."

I rest my cheek atop her head and we start to stagger to the side as our weight shifts. Miku laughs cutely and I smile as we get used to the shift and walk in a straight line once again.

"I think you'd be an amazing blanket." I say. "And it would be nice to have someone to share my dreams with."

Miku rubs my arm and closes her eyes again. "I'm already in a dream." She whispers in her cute way. Those words send a warm feeling through my whole body and I have to push back tears for the millionth time today.

"You may not know it, but you always say the perfect things Miku." I say. The hotel is just across the street, bright yellow light spilling out of the windows and onto the ground around it in a kind of halo. I cross the street and pass through the glass entrance to the building. I make a beeline for the bank of elevators and we head up to our floor.

I lead Miku to my room.

We pass the threshold and I close the door with my free hand. I lead Miku to my bed and she lets go of me and falls into it. She has an innocent expression on her face as she stares at me. I blush slightly and move to the other side of the bed.

"Let's work on the song tomorrow." Miku says, her face snuggling against the pillow on her side of the bed. She curls up into a ball and pulls her boots off, setting them beside the bed. I follow her example and pull my own boots off. I then pull the cover over Miku and get underneath beside her. We somehow managed to do all of this using only the light of the moon. It shines through the window at my back, but Miku faces it. She looks like an angel in its light. Her eyes are shut tight and her mouth lets out the cutest exhalations of air. I snuggle close to her and push my head against hers. My eyes close. I feel hands reach around me and hug me tight and my hands do the same to Miku. I fall asleep tight against my love.

_A surreal landscape where nothing seems anchored to the ground and gravity has become nothing more than an idea put to paper by the greatest minds of science fiction and fantasy. The people fly around, as do the buildings and foliage. There is no grass or sky though, there is just a blank whiteness that never ends. Luka steps onto the solid whiteness that must be the ground and notices that the men and women and children are not flying, they are merely falling upward. So are the buildings and foliage and everything else. Luka has a sense that this has been a process that started long before she stepped onto the blank ground. The color had been seeped from the world, and now she was bearing witness to an invisible black hole getting rid of the very last remnants and leaving it so that any newcomers would think that there had not ever been anything there. For some reason, the black hole did not suck her in. Instead, it left her there in the blinding whiteness. _

_She walked for a long time in the bland new world, finding nothing of any consequence. She was lonely, she was scared. _

_Ahead she saw two figures, mid-thirties, the man with a receding hairline and the woman with a nice smile. She ran to them, her form growing tinier and tinier as she got younger and younger. She cried for her parents and nearly fell over in pure elation at their sudden appearance. She found herself beneath their combined shadow and went to hug her mother's leg. _

_They had disappeared and Luka had returned to her regular self. Her head whipped wildly back and forth in search of her parents but they were nowhere to be found. Instead, she felt a tiny body wrap itself around her leg and looked down at the miniscule form of herself at eight year old. She knelt to hug herself but the girl disappeared and Luka was instead kneeling in front of a young man with blue hair and khaki pants. He was her age, though a bit taller and with a far brighter smile. _

"_I couldn't help but hear your voice. You sing beautifully. Have you ever thought about getting into music as a profession?" _

_She took his hand and he led her through the whiteness. She was suddenly blasted with warmth that made her sweat. That is when she saw the girl with the long blue hair in pig tails, her voice cute and beautiful. _

"_Miku, meet Luka. You need to hear her sing, she's fantastic!" _

_Luka is a bit taller than Miku. She's seventeen and Miku is fifteen. Luka opened her mouth to sing and a song came to her out of nowhere, a song she had never heard before. Kaito disappeared and it was only her and Miku and a dark room. Her conscious memory remembers the first song she sang to Miku, a cute song about a girl and her stuffed animal. She attempts to sing that song but instead finds herself mouthing the words of an entirely different song, one the world had never heard before._

The clock on the other side of the bed reads 2:32 A.M. I think the song is part of the dream I am having.

"_A feeble fire is lit at the edge of my heart;_

_without my knowing, it spreads into burning passion._

_My butterfly flapped about aimlessly,_

_leaving behind some powder on your hand._

_Pulling apart our intertwined fingers,_

_moving from our lips to our tongues,_

_what we're doing might be unforgivable,_

_and that's precisely why we're so fired up._

_I want you to embrace me closely and gauge my limit._

_Please make me believe that this is not a sin._

_I want you to kiss me and repaint my body._

_I want to be intoxicated and drowned in your charm._

_Draw me closer, as if we are two magnets,_

_that even if we separate, we will reunite again._

_Let's become one; it's okay not to able to turn back._

_That's fine, for you're my one and only love."_

What I think is part of the dream appears to have been real. I am singing to the Miku in the dream. Except it isn't the dream that my conscious mind had created for me. It was the dream that the real world had created for me.

Miku is wide awake and I see her eyes brim with tears. She has been holding me tight like a plush ever since we went to sleep hours before. I feel her tiny breasts press against me and her face gets closer. Her lips press hard against mine and I am thrown into a realm of complete ecstasy. I turn my head slightly and intensify the kiss. Her tears gently roll down her face toward our locked lips. I pull away from the kiss to lick the salty tears from her face and Miku comes at me again, this time with an open mouth. Our tongues meet and a strange sensation runs down my spine. Her normal kiss made me explode in ecstasy but this, this just makes my whole body shut down. She seems surprised at this as well, that she is able to produce such a kiss. I can feel her passion and her happiness and I know this kiss is truly the embodiment of all her emotions. I am made for the millionth time today to blink away tears. Under the covers her feet curl around mine and if we were to stand the way we were now entangled it would probably look like a still shot of a couple dancing a salsa. She has a blush on her face as if she is afraid I'll reject her advances but I hope my eyes tell her that I want her to do this, that I want us to be tangled together as if we are one. My hand runs through the back of Miku's hair and my attempts to hold back tears fall apart.

I know that you think I'm pathetic. You probably think Miku and I are both pathetic. We are crying so much, we are just letting our emotions take us over. You don't understand how much Miku has meant to me though and how much it means to finally hold her and kiss her. Ever since she had taken me under her wing and helped me get on my feet after my parents' accident, ever since she had allowed me the chance to sing on stage and let my emotion out through song, I have wanted to hold her. I know she always thought of me as an older sister because of the fact I always acted so caring and protective but to me she felt like my new mother almost. And then six months ago I had realized that we were two teenaged girls and we were best friends and we really cared about each other. And I realized that I didn't think of her as a mother like I had at first, I understood how I really felt about her. I was in love with her.

It took me six months to get the bravery to admit I loved her. And I'm so glad I did.

Our lips won't pull apart. Our eyes won't stop flowing with tears. Our bodies have become the human version of a pretzel.

Neither of us wants it to end. But I can tell from Miku's eyes that she has something she wants to say, so I release my lips from her face and press my cheek against her, my ear right next to her mouth.

"What do you call that song?" She asks.

"Magnet." I answer. "I just kind of made it up."

"It was beautiful. I want us to sing that for everyone." Her whisper is tiny and sweet.

"Miku, can I wear one of your hairbands tomorrow?" I feel her nod against me. "Do you want me to tell Kaito and the twins? Or do you want to?"

"We will." Miku said. "There's no you or I anymore. There's we and us." I turn my head to look into her shining eyes. She has a heartfelt smile on her face. "Luka, will you sing that song again?"

I do. I don't know how I remember the lyrics, like they have been ingrained in my mind for years, but I am managing to replicate what I had sung fifteen minutes previously perfectly.

Miku's soft breaths tell me she has fallen asleep. I push my face against hers comfortably and both of us return to the dream world. I hope that our dreams will tangle like our sleeping bodies.


	3. Miku's Story Part Two

Part Three  
Miku

I wake at six thirty, the sun poking itself from the horizon and pushing the darkness from the sky. My body is warm, but not uncomfortably so. It feels really good. Inside my body I feel warm, a result of my thoughts and my heart and all of the emotions that are filling me. But outside, Luka's body is tight against mine and her cheek presses against my cheek. She holds me like a young child holds a doll, her hand cradling the back of my head. The only sound in the room is her soft breaths. I look at her face and then at the sun which streams through the window and frames her. It seems almost symbolic. She is a bright spot in my life, she is my warmth, she pushes the darkness in my mind away and leaves me with nothing but brightness and happiness. My arms are wrapped around her back and I find myself stroking her long pink hair. I'm in heaven.

She wakes a half an hour later, her eyes struggling to focus on me. They are glazed over and before she could let me go I rubbed them for her. She smiles and strokes the back of my head, her other hand massages my back. I notice she got her hand under my shirt last night and blush at the closer contact, but then quickly feel happy. Our bodies are for each other to lean on and hug when we're sad. She wouldn't care if I did the same.

"So it wasn't a big long dream?" Luka says, pushing my head against hers. We kiss, the feeling like nothing else. Luka's lips are warm and moist and her breath is sweet. The way she holds my head and rubs my back is sweet and sensual. I try my best to do the same to her but I know I am failing miserably. She is amazing with her hands, amazing with how she can make me feel so good, like her body is sucking mine in. I don't even know if I'm cradling her head correctly, let alone if she feels the same amount of pleasure I do. My body just feels strange when Luka kisses me, I go rigid and can't move yet my insides bubble and I feel like exploding.

We pull away and I can't help but put myself down. "Y-you do everything right. You make me feel so good. But I do everything wrong." My eyes turn away from hers.

"Miku, you make me feel good too. You don't do anything wrong." Her nose presses against mine gently. "Don't doubt yourself so much. You're way too cute to be doubting yourself."

"But I can't help it. I don't want to do anything that will make you mad. I don't want you to think badly of me and leave me because…"

"You're doubting again." Luka smiles. "You'll never make me mad. I'll never think bad of you. And I won't leave you. You're the girl I've been in love with forever. Now that I finally have you, I'm not letting you go."

We get up and look at our clothes. They are wrinkled pretty badly.

"I'll go to my room and change. I'll bring all of my things over here." Luka said.

I nod and she left me for the first time in twelve hours. I take off my clothes and ruffle through my luggage in the corner, finding some street clothes. I put on black pantyhose beneath a tiny pair of black shorts. I throw on a light pink sweater and a red jacket over that. I find a scarf and twirl it around my neck. As I put on a pair of heeled brown boots, Luka walks in wearing a long black dress with a pink coat over it and a pair of black heels on her feet.

"Miku, you remember when I asked you if I could borrow one of your hairbands?"

I nod and smile. I pull both my hairbands off and hand her one. She uses it to put her hair in a ponytail and I follow suit.

"You look really cute." I say, blushing as Luka looked over my clothes.

"You look really, really cute." She clasps my hand with her own, our fingers entwine, and she leads me out of the room. I lock the door and she takes me down the stairs. At the bottom, Len sits alone, wearing a pair of black pants and a jacket. He looks really fancy, like he is going to go out with someone. When he hears Luka and me he stands and looks at us. He starts at our faces, which are red as tomatoes, then at our hands. When he puts two and two together he gets a strange expression on his face. Is it…disappointment? His gaze is fixed on our hands.

"So I guess you two are…a thing now." His jaw is doing weird things. I can't read him at all. "I kind of suspected that you two had a…thing."

My heart was threatening to burst out of my chest. Does he not approve? Does he look down on us because of this?

"You guys look really happy." He looks down at the stairs and then moves aside. "You're a cute couple." He looks up with a strained smile of pure white. As we pass by him he whispers in Luka's ear and she nods at him, grabbing his shoulder with her free hand.

"I promise." She said before turning back to me with a smile to rival Len's. "Come on, let's get some breakfast." She leads me to a family restaurant and we are given a booth in the corner. It is quiet and private. We scoot together and I rest my head against her shoulder. The waitress comes by, seeming surprised by how close we are. Is it really that strange?

We both get orange juice and decide to share a stack of pancakes. When they are set in front of us I don't know how to attack them. There are a lot, and I didn't know if Luka wanted the top half or the bottom half or the right half or the left half. Before I can ask her fork comes at my mouth and she laughs as I chew.

We attack the pancakes randomly, occasionally shoving our forks in each other's' mouths. While most of the time my mind is on Luka and how much I love her, occasionally my thoughts are going back to Len. What caused him to act like he did? He seemed really different from usual. Usually he was messing around with Rin, but he seemed so much more dapper and mature this morning.

"What did Len say to you Luka?" I ask as the waitress places the check on the table.

"Nothing important. He just…was playing with Rin and didn't want her to be in on why he was dressed like he was."

"You're a bad liar…" I look down at the table. Just a day later, and I don't know if I can trust her. Or maybe she doesn't trust me. Suddenly I am scared that maybe this relationship is a one night thing. Luka must see it in my eyes and hugs me tight. "I'm sorry Miku. But I don't want to hurt anyone by saying something. Please don't think I'm a liar. I…just don't want to hurt Len's feelings."

I nod and hold her tighter. "I'm sorry…"

Luka chuckled. "It's okay Miku. You can hold me as long as you need to. I won't ever lie to you. I promise. I…just feel I owe it to Len to keep his secret."

I stay in her arms for a long time. I didn't want to leave their warmth and security.


	4. Rin's Story Part One

Part Four  
Rin

Len is dejected and hurt, he hides his face with the sleeve of his expensive jacket. He is in love with Miku, and to see her slip from his grasp, taken by Luka…he must be really, really hurt. I want to go down and hug him, tell him everything will be okay, that I love him and I always will. But if I admit those feelings now, when his heart is broken and his life probably feels like it has crumbled, then I'd only make things worse and hurt him even more. I want him to smile, but I know he won't be able to for a long time. Today was the day he had steeled himself for, waited for. He dressed up, he mustered all the power he could to keep himself from breaking down during his admission, and had those hopes of finally grasping Miku's hand, taking her with him through his life, dashed.

He's too late. And Miku wouldn't love him anyway because she doesn't like boys. It's readily apparent that her love has always been with Luka, especially considering how close they seem to be after only a little time of being official. I mean, I haven't been in a lot of relationships in my life (more precisely, I never have) but I can tell when two people are really in love and Miku and Luka are just that.

I watch Len from the shadows at the top of the staircase, feeling just as hurt as he is. I don't know what to do but watch him. I want to do something for him, help him feel better…

"What are you doing kid?" Kaito's hand slaps my back and he stoops to look down at me. He has a big silly smile on his face, the kind that only someone with no worries can have. He's wearing jeans and a T-shirt and his blue hair is a mess, like he just got up and decided against combing it. Then again, it's Kaito. You can't expect too much from him. He's one of the biggest slackers I've ever met in my life.

He looks around the corner and down the stairs at Len. Len sits on the bottom step, his foot tapping rhythmically, his face hidden. "You're a little James Bond, eh?" Kaito pats my head and pulls his head from the corner to look back at me. "What's wrong with Len? He's not looking too well."

I shake my head. "He's...he's met an obstacle that he can't jump over."

Kaito has a quizzical look in his eyes. "What do you mean?"

I tiptoe to whisper in his ear, in case anyone else is eavesdropping on us. "You know about Miku and Luka right? They're dating."

Kaito's eyes widen in shock. As he turns to face me, he chuckles. "Nice joke Rin." He is about to pinch my cheek but stops. My eyes are serious and my mouth is a line. He lets out a strained breath and blinks a few times. "Sorry."

"It's okay. It's kind of hard to believe I guess." I look back at Len, in the same position. "But it's true. And Len is heartbroken."

Kaito nodded. "He…had a thing for Miku. Everyone knew it except Miku…and maybe not Luka either."

"He was all prepared to ask her out today. And he was too late. He's tearing himself up." My eyes are getting wet with tears and I can barely get words out. I hate to see him like this. After all, I…

…I kind of love him.

Not that anyone knows, though maybe Kaito does. Despite acting like a complete idiot most of the time, he's actually pretty smart. He catches on to things fast. And I guess the fact that I'm crying over Len confirms any feelings I have for him. Which means Kaito could, as he typically does, use my secret as ammunition or to keep me a slave to his demands. Before he can even think about that, I'm going to make him part of this.

At least, that's what I am thinking. Kaito ruffles my hair and smiles gently, making me feel more at ease. He bit his lip thoughtfully. "You like him, huh?" He smiles widely and hugs me. "I guess you need a shoulder to cry on for now. Listen kid, I'll help you out however I can. I don't want to see two of my friends depressed like this." He is really gentle, and sounds sincere. He looks around the corner. I can't stop him, he's guiding me toward the stairs.

"N-no. I knew I couldn't trust you."

Kaito shakes his head and steers me past Len. I look up at him, wondering what his goal is if it's not embarrassing me.

"I just wanted to get you some breakfast to cheer you up. You don't have to think I'm a bad guy. Jeez, I may be mean sometimes but it's not like I'm bad enough to put a crying girl on the spot." He shakes his head. "I knew I had a bad rep, but I can't believe you think of me like that."

"S-sorry."

He smiles and messes with my hair even more. "You're like my little sister. And I've got to take care of my family, right?"

I look up at him and feel the tears stop. His smile is amazingly vibrant, like a star, and it washes all my worries away. I'm his little sister. He doesn't want me to be hurt. He wants to protect me and make me happy. I can trust him, no matter what happens. I feel a smile spread across my face, not one to match Kaito's, but a smile nonetheless.

"We match, by the way." Kaito says as he steers me to a mirror. He wasn't talking about our clothes, my black and yellow dress and matching yellow heels were a far cry from his typical guy look.

A little "eep" escapes my lips as I see my hair, which sticks up in every direction possible, just like Kaito's. He laughs as I try to comb it with my fingernails. After a few minutes, my hair looks okay. Kaito nods at the reflection in the mirror. "Looks good." He runs a hand through his hair and somehow manages to make it look messier than it did before. "Eh, whatever." He grabs me around the shoulder and leads me to the little cafeteria area serving one of those cheap continental breakfasts for the patrons. I pick up a milk and muffin while he piles his plate with bacon and eggs, much to the dismay of the people in line behind him.

We sit together at a table against a window that gives a good view of the morning fervor. Cars congest the road, men in business suits at the wheel going to work. Tourists walked by the myriad shops set up. Kids head to school in their uniforms. I watch two of them with interest; one is a boy of about fourteen or fifteen, the other a girl of the same age. She tries to keep her skirt from showing too much skin as the wind blows through. He gazes away with a look on his face that is kind of strained, as if he really wants to look but knows better than to do so.

Her face is red. Her words don't reach me, but by the expression on the boy's face, I can tell their meaning.

"You going to eat or keep staring off into space?" Kaito asks between mouthfuls of bacon. "It'll make you feel better. I feel better already!" He downs a mug of steaming coffee in the space of three seconds.

He…he's an animal.

I eat slowly, picking at the muffin and taking tiny bites. By the time I get through the top of my muffin, Kaito has already finished a second plate.

Halfway through his third plate he jabs his fork at me, sending stray bits of scrambled eggs on the table. "You can eat faster. By the time you finish that muffin it'll be lunchtime. And they don't serve lunch here."

"Sorry." I eat faster. Not that fast, not Kaito fast, but a little quicker than before. Kaito watches me with eyes that seem sympathetic. Almost like he knows what I'm going through and sees a bit of himself in me.

"Let me tell you a little story to cheer you up." Kaito pushes aside his plate and clasps his hands together on the table, the most serious position he can assume. "A long time ago there was a guy named Kaito.. Lots of girls liked Kaito because he was really attractive and nice…"

"I'm out of here." I stand but Kaito grabs my arm and motions for me to sit back down. I roll my eyes.

"Let me finish my story before you run away." I'm going to run away at the end? "This Kaito guy found a really nice girl. She was sweet and innocent and didn't swoon over him. She played hard to get and made everything interesting…"

"Is this fiction?"

"Far from it Rin! This story will be in my autobiography!" I roll my eyes. "Don't do that! People want to hear the Kaito story and you're getting an exclusive first look!" His smile is idiotic. I don't know whether to slap him or feel bad for his being dropped on the head as a child. I let him continue anyway, if only to inflate his already overinflated ego.

"Anyway, this girl was quiet and I couldn't say much of anything to her without getting a smart-ass remark in return. But I could tell in her eyes," he points at his eyes like I need to be shown what they are, "that she loved me. The way she looked at my naked chest…"

"Why were you naked?" I slowly scoot my chair back.

"I'm at a pool party. So I'm not wearing a shirt. Who wears a shirt into the pool?"

I shake my head. "Sorry, please continue this nonsense." I guess he is taking my mind off Len and making me a little happier though. Maybe that's his intention.

"This girl was standing by the pool, admiring my Herculean pecs. I approached her. She was wearing this pair of cute glasses and she had long brown hair. Hot as you can get. It was our third time meeting at a party."

"You stalked her." I mutter.

"Not…stalking. It's called chasing your love."

"And where is she now?"

"That's the thing. I kind of tripped as I went to talk to her and we both fell into the pool. And she couldn't swim. So I saw it as my opportunity to save her life and gain her love. I was like a dolphin. And when she splashed to the surface she slapped me. And when she got out of the pool she kicked me in the jewels. And she told all her friends I assaulted her."

"You deserved it." I say.

"You're supposed to laugh and cheer up." Kaito shakes his head. "That was funny right? I was hurt! And screwed up! That's funny, right?"

I shake my head. "You're just an generic guy, aren't you?"

"What's that supposed to mean?"

I smile. "That you act really stupid."

"Are you saying Len is like that?" His eyes slit and he smiles at one upping me.

"N-no." I blush. "He's different from normal guys. He's much more…mature. He cares about people and he isn't going after girls because he wants to party with them and do them," my gaze fell unwaveringly on Kaito whose smile turned into a bit of a frown, "it's because he genuinely cares about them."

"Don't go making accusations missy! I cared about that girl! If I didn't, I wouldn't have saved her from drowning!"

I grit my teeth. His smirk annoys me. His tone of voice annoys me. I finally see what he wants to do. All of the previous niceness was a façade. He really wants to insult me and hurt me. He wants me to feel like Len is a bad guy. Like he and Len are one and the same. "Has anyone told you you're an asshole?"

"Hey! First of all, lots of girls have said that, and second of all, you're too young to be using that language!"

"And you're too old to act like a nine year old!" I stand and smack my hand against the table. "You try to make me feel better but instead make me feel worse! You insult Len when he hasn't done anything and is more of a man than you'll ever be! You mess up my hair! You pretend like you're funny because you're an eighteen year old high school dropout who managed to sing with us because Miku heard your voice and thought it was good! All you care about is partying and girls and all of us are on the backburner! We're just here to make you feel better about yourself, right?"

Kaito stood, his eyes filled with fire. It is the first time I've ever seen him mad. "Listen to me kid. I don't need to hear your crap! You're a thirteen year old girl who couldn't even admit the fact she loved someone because she didn't have the mental strength. And now he's slipped from your grasp and you're going to be cooking in your own tears for a long time, kicking yourself because you didn't ask him out or tell him what you really thought. I don't need to be criticized by someone like you! At least I'm forward and can catch someone I like before they go to the other side of the pond!"

"You're a narcissistic, sexist asshole who plays with other people's emotions for fun! How does it feel to make a girl cry? Does it make you happy?" My eyes are like rivers. "Len is the nicest guy on the planet and you aren't even close to being in his league! All your doing is trying to hide your emotions! Everyone knows you loved Luka! You're not forward and catch girls before they disappear! You're just like me!"

The dining area has grown silent, watching my showdown with Kaito. It's not embarrassing. I'm too sad and mad to think about any of this being embarrassing.

Kaito's eyes are full of hurt. "Then you should understand why I'm the way I am! We've all been hurt by Luka and Miku getting together! I have a right to be pissed right now! I'm just like you, I admit it! I didn't have the balls to tell her before she slipped away! And now I'll never have that chance!" He punches the table twice and turns away from me. "You have the chance! You can cast your line far enough to catch Len! It's going to be hard to reel him in, but when you do I know you two will be the perfect couple that I can only be envious of!"

I back away. This whole time he was trying to make himself feel better. He knew about Miku and Luka long before I did. And he is jealous that I can still get together with Len. I feel so bad for yelling at him now and run away, out of the dining area. Len isn't on the steps as I take them two at a time and head to my room.

I slam the door behind me and fall onto my bed, clutching at one of the pillows, curling around it. "I'm just like Kaito…" My tears won't stop. "We're both broken by Miku and Luka's relationship."

I hear a voice at the door, Kaito's. "I'm sorry Rin. I'll do anything I can to get you and Len together. I swear. Please don't hate me. I just…it's like you said. I'm immature."

Somehow, as I choke on my tears, I manage to say something.

"I love you Len."

* * *

_Thanks to everyone reading this and giving me positive feedback. It's been a looooong time since I wrote the first three chapters so I may be off my game as I return to this fic. I don't know a ton about Vocaloid (I don't know a third of the characters) so I'm just going to focus on the main ones that everyone knows. I like the music and I love Rin, Miku, and Luka so I decided I'd try something like this. It's kind of generic, but it's also an attempt to practice present tense writing, which is really rare to find. Neal Stephenson's the only person I know of who has done present tense stuff. I'll keep writing this so please enjoy it :D _


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